ISIS cells in Kerala planned 12 attacks
The NIA will make further arrests in the case.
Kochi: The sleeper cells of Islamic State in Kerala had planned to conduct 12 attacks, it is learnt. According to sources, the accused even prepared for the attacks by storing explosives. The National Investigation Agency suspects that Ansar Al-Khilafah, an organisation which recently pledged its allegiance to the ISIS, is heading the operations in Kerala. NIA SP A.P. Shoukathali on Monday produced six persons arrested from Kannur before the NIA Special Court. The court, which considered the contentions of the NIA counsel that the custody of the accused is necessary to unearth more details, remanded them in police custody for 12 days. The cops covered the faces of the accused and later took them to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.
According to the NIA, the arrested persons were part of a ten-member team which planned to attack five persons, including High Court judges, and seven institutions. The NIA will make further arrests in the case. The arrested are Manseed alias Omar Al Hindi alias Muthuka of Kannur, Abu Basheer alias Rashid alias Buccha alias Dalpati alias Ameer of Coimbatore, T. Swalih Mohammed alias Yousuf alias Abu Hasna, N.K. Jasim, Ramshad Nangeelam alias Amu and P. Safwan. According to sources, Safwan was working in a vernacular newspaper. According to the NIA, they made use of ‘Telegram's mobile application for communication. Despite reports that the state police was in the dark about NIA's crackdown, State police chief Loknath Behera said the present operation was a joint effort of multiple agencies. He however preferred not to elaborate.
A top state police intelligence officer said that they had been tracking the social media chat group titled Ansar Al-Khilafah for quite sometime. "The group had even changed its name to Ansar Al-Haq on suspicion of being tracked". According to sources, pro-IS groups by the name Ansar Al-Khilafah are active in countries such as Brazil and Philippines. "We are yet to ascertain whether the group held in Kerala has any direct links with these groups," said the source.